


All The Stars In The Universe

by DivineVarod



Category: Doctor Who, Doctor Who (2005)
Genre: Angst and Feels, Bill Potts - Freeform, F/F, Friends to Lovers, Purgatory, Regeneration, dying, heather - Freeform
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-08-05
Updated: 2017-08-05
Packaged: 2018-12-11 14:11:59
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,204
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11716011
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/DivineVarod/pseuds/DivineVarod
Summary: Centuries later The Doctor finds out that Missy had not betrayed her after all. But is it too late?





	All The Stars In The Universe

When The Doctor stepped out of the Tardis a chill went up her spine and she felt an unshakable urge to turn right round and leave. She never liked visiting this part of the universe. It was like a limbo for the immortal, a purgatory for those wanting to repent. A hideout for those not wanting to be found.  
  
But today someone DID want to be found: the call had been insistent and the Tardis had responded to it like a fury. Before The Doctor had time to as much as point at a lever, the Blue Box had been beyond her control and jumped into the portal created by the caller. This was a surprise to The Doctor, as her dear craft usually resisted the attentions of others. This made her realize that both her and the box had to know whoever had contacted them very intimately.  
  
Her money betting on an early incarnation of River Song, The Doctor walked towards the house the signal came from. It wasn't as much a house as a rather miserable hovel; the inhabitants of this planet were forced to deny themselves luxury and comfort. It was part of the repentance program. Coming closer to the signal she noticed the sound was … sonic, Time Lord sonic. How could anyone find a way to build anything sonic on this barren, desolated planet? “Maybe this is where River was brought after her jail sentence ...” The Doctor though. But that wouldn't make sense: she would have told her that when they lived together. It could not be River. Although … maybe telling her would have been a spoiler?  
  
The Doctor searched the house restlessly. Where could the signal come from? Finding nothing in the living-room, she decided to check the bedroom.  
  
The bedroom was as dark and bedraggled as the rest of the house. She thought this room was as empty too, until suddenly a slight creaking noise from the bed made her pause.

A woman lay on the bed, the moment she saw her The Doctor knew she was close to death. It was not River, but The Doctor felt, instinctively, that she knew her.

She was dressed in black, her skin was like parchment and struggling to hold on to her heartbreakingly thin frame. She had clearly been through hell and back, the suffering etched in her face. When she noticed a Confession Dial on the nightstand a suspicion arose.  
  
The moment the woman opened her eyes, it was clear: haggard, though the face was, those beautiful, piercing blue eyes were unmistakable.  
“Whoever you are get out!!” A Scottish accent spat harshly. “Can't a Time Lady die in peace round here?!”

The Doctor gasped. “Missy? What happened to you?” Missy had left her, betrayed her when she needed her most. She'd expected her to gloat at her expense together with her previous incarnation for centuries. What had happened?  
  
The dying woman tried to raise herself in response to The Doctor's voice, but was too weak. Instead she squinted at her and smiled.  
“So it is you, Doctor? I should have known, you've always been a copy cat.”

As The Doctor kept staring Missy groaned. “For God sake, don't just stand there. Come closer, my eyes have aged too, you know!”  
When The Doctor came closer, Missy did manage to raise herself, just enough to slap her. “I sent that signal out centuries ago! You took your precious time!” With a smirk, the smirk The Doctor knew so well, she lay back down again. “Gar, I waited forever to do that.” She sighed contently.

That slap had it's desired effect, it shook The Doctor awake and also stirred her anger. “Missy, you left me to die, what do you think gives you the right …?”  
A light of pure hurt and injustice started burning in Missy's eyes, hearing those words.  
“My God, all these centuries of Time Traveling and still short of basic info? No, you silly sausage I didn't leave you to die. I wanted to stand with you, but my younger self stopped me, so I couldn't stop you dying, as I was going through a spot of death myself.”

For a second The Doctor's breath was taken away as she sank onto a chair. Could this be true? Why had no-one ever told her? All these years wasted thinking Missy had let her down. All these years of mourning the loss of friendship. She gathered herself enough to raise her head and repeat;  
“You wanted …?”  
From the bed Missy's face seemed open; no filter, no sass, no jokes. It was the truth.  
“To be with you, yeah …”  
Those words in Missy's now soft Scottish burr sent a shiver down The Doctor's spine. Missy and the Master, the same but so different. Missy had grown, learned; even before the vault there had been a change in her.

“But the Master …”  
A brief shudder went through Missy's thin body remembering the traumatic event.  
“He sort of shot me in my back, with a sonic lazer.”  
A sonic what??? The Doctor looked at her in confusion.  
“But that should kill a Time Lord instantly ...”  
  
Missy snorted at her in amusement. “Ya keep hoping I'm lying, don't ya deary, to ease yer guilt. Well, forget it: I died, pure and simple. I died there and then. I was found by the girl, and her watery lover. Realizing that I tried, tried to go against all I ever knew, They revived me and brought me here, to a place where I could repent and hope to go to the nicer part of the Death Zone. I lived my centuries here, without travel, without a means to escape, without regenerations. All hoped for, all I wished was to one day see you again, only to tell you: I did not leave you, I wanted to be with you. I was on your side.”

Hearing those words from Missy, her best friend, the one she thought had hurt her more than anyone ever could, broke both The Doctor's hearts so deeply it hurt. She couldn't believe it: all this time she'd thought Missy had betrayed her while …  
From far away words echoed. So long ago now ...  
  
_I was secretly on your side all along, you silly sausage.  
_

_Without hope. Without witness. Without reward._

The Doctor sat her chair closer to Missy, to hold her hand, to see her.

“Oh Missy, all this time … I'm so sorry I wish I'd known. You must have been so lonely.”  
A smile stirred round Missy's mouth, it seemed relief at The Doctor believing her.  
“The girl visits me sometimes, she tells me the stories of your adventures that the universe shares with her. She didn't talk about your new form, though. It suits you.”  
She lifted her hand with difficulty to touch The Doctor's face. “So young, so pretty.”  
The Doctor took her hand and kissed it gently.  
“You inspired me.”  
For a brief moment Missy looked stunned at that, then she snorted with laughter.  
“Glad I got one thing right then! Welcome to the Sisterhood!”  
  
A brief silence. The Doctor brooded. There had to be something she could do. She hadn't known about Missy, but the situation her friend had lived in after her sacrifice weighed heavily on her. Looking at Missy she saw the Time Lady was growing weaker by the minute. Maybe Missy wanted …

“Do you want to go somewhere Missy? The Tardis is near we could …”  
In the silence Missy had almost fallen asleep, it took her a second to realize what The Doctor had said.

“Oh, I wish I could go and see the stars from close by one last time. But it's too late Doctor, I'm so tired. One heart stopped long ago, I kept the other one beating … for you.”  
A gasp of pain followed by a hacking cough proved that Missy was right, there was no way she could go anywhere. But The Doctor, as always, couldn't just agree to the inevitable. There had to be hope: she had not found her best friend back just to lose her again.  
“Missy, please, it's too soon! There must be something …”  
  
Missy smiled at her and shook her head. “Hush now Doctor. Too soon? I think it's rather overdue.”  
  
“Missy …”  
  
“Don't, Doctor Who. Just sit and talk. Say something nice. be kind.” She snorted as she recalled. “Why not, just at the end, just be kind?”  
  
So The Doctor sat with her and talked. She talked until she noticed Missy couldn't hear her anymore. She talked until Missy's breathing became slower. Memories, adventures she told her all of it.

As Missy's eyes fell shut for the last time, a combination of hurt and anger rose in The Doctor. She could not lose her! Whatever Missy had said to the contrary, this could not, should not be it; Missy was glorious, passionate and magnificent. She had shone like the brightest star. Her end should be the same. The Doctor was torn: she knew she shouldn't, she had been here before. But she also knew that this woman had sacrificed, repented, waited and, despite everything, had always, always been her friend.  
She was sick of losing people. She was The Doctor, she saved people. If she could not save her oldest friend in the universe the only one who truly knew her, what did this title even mean? Before she could stop herself she had taken her hand and, right between the final breath and heartbeat, the regeneration energy entered Missy's body.  
  
She would leave before Missy woke up and changed. It broke her heart, but knowing the laws of regeneration, there was a chance her friend would forget every lesson learned in this incarnation. She gently placed Missy's vortex manipulator on the nightstand and smiled. It was wrong, she knew, and even dangerous. But she couldn't help it: knowing whatever version of Missy was around wrecking havoc somehow always did her good. The Doctor and Missy, The Doctor and The Master, that was how it had always been. “Bye Missy …” She said gently, kissing her forehead. As tears started filling her eyes she softly turned to leave the room.  
  
As she reached the door a bright light flashed through the room, she'd been too slow: Missy had always been better at regenerating than she was. Suddenly an arm was wrapped around her tightly. Worried about what would happen, The Doctor closed her eyes: this might have been another terrible idea! Then two lips met her mouth. The kiss was warm, hungry, but loving, then The Doctor opened her eyes, to meet: Missy! As young, fresh and beautiful as she had looked the day she'd first seen her.  
“Hello. I hope you're well. Thank you for assisting me with my death.” Missy said as she winked at the confused Doctor in front of her.  
  
“Missy? How?” She stammered.  
Missy shook her head as she took The Doctor's hands in hers. Her eyes were moist and the golden afterglow of regeneration was still around her. She had never been more wonderful to The Doctor as she was in this moment. The moment she knew Missy was truly on her side.  
  
“Oh you silly idiot.” Missy said gently, as she softly brushed her fingers through The Doctor's hair. “After thousands of years you still don't know the first thing about regeneration, do you? Did you forget about restoration regeneration? I am certain you attempted it yourself once. Yes, I could have very well chosen to start again, to live as someone new. But I didn't want to not anymore. How could I choose to forget the things this body, this brain have been through? What I've learned, what I've felt? The feelings this body made me accept. How can I leave just when I can finally admit to how long I've longed to do this?”  
  
And with that she kissed her, and this time The Doctor kissed her back, despite the one doubt that was still on her mind. Missy had lived her life and chosen to relive it, to be with her. She wanted nothing more, but Missy was now mortal, could she really bear spending centuries with someone only to lose her again in the end. She couldn't explain it, the pain she felt, all she could do was look at Missy and whisper.  
  
“It won't last.”

She could see Missy understood, as the newly revived Time Lady took her in her arms and shot her that beautiful smile.  
  
“I know you lost so much, but remember: you have given me centuries again. It will last long enough to re-live the years I wanted to live but lost. It will last long enough to see all the stars in the universe. With you … if you still want me.”  
  
_If you still want me …_  
  
The second she spoke these words The Doctor knew without a shadow of a doubt:  
  
“It's all I've ever wanted. We are going to see them all.”  
  
And with that she took Missy's hand and led her into the Tardis.  
  
"Besides ..." Missy purred, just before the door closed. "If you're that desperate to keep me, you can always regenerate me again ..."  
  
"Missy!!"


End file.
